Draft eliminator



Aug. 29, 1939 c. R'AIBLE 2,171,070

DRAFT ELIMINATOR Original Filed March 18, 1958 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 34 INVENTOR.

Omen: Gee/P164181;

ATTORNEYJ Patented Aug. 29, 1939 2,171,070

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAFT ELCHVIINATOR Charles Greif Raible, Shaker Heights, Ohio, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to The Sentry Stop-A-Draft. 00., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation'of Ohio Application March 18, 1938, Serial No. 196,754

Renewed July 10, 1939 7 Claims. (CI. 20-68) This invention relates to sealing devices or through the lower edge of the door and through draft eliminators of the type adapted to be my draft eliminator mounted thereon, as indimounted on adoor, orthe like,- and to be operated cated by line -5 of Fig 2; automatically during opening and closing move- Fig. 6 is a partial transverse sectional view 5.. ments of the door, taken through the device and door as indicated 5 An object of my invention is to provide an by line 6-8 of Fig. 3; improved device of this kind embodying novel Fig. '7 is an elevational View with parts broken features and characteristics contributing to the away illustrating the functioning of the dissimilar economical manufacture thereof and to the eflicams of my improved draft eliminator;

-cient and reliable functioning of the device during Fig. 8 is an elevational view showing a door 10-. use, I having another form I of my draft eliminator Another object of my invention is to provide an mounted thereon; v 7 improved draft eliminator, of the type referred Fig; 9 is a longitudinal sectional View taken to, having novel actuating means for the sealing through such modified form of -my draft elimi- :member whereby one end of the sealing member nator; 15 is actuated inadvance of its other end. Fig. 101 is asimilar longitudinal sectional view A further object of my invention is to provide but showing the sealing member projected from an automatic door sealing device of the type the casing; having spaced levers'orcams for actuating an Fig. 11 is apartial transverse sectional .view 20. elongated sealing member and in which such taken through the device as indicated byline ll levers or cams are of dissimilar shape whereby Il-of Fig. 9; one end of the sealing member is actuated in Fig. 12 is anotherpartial transverse sectional advance of its other end to avoid interference View taken as indicated by line I 2 I2 of Fig. with a floor covering adjacent the door opening. 9; and V i Still another object of my invention is to pro- 13" is a developed plan View showing the 25 vide an improved construction for an automatic sheetmetal blank-from which the casing of the door sealing device whereby relatively inexpendevice may be formed. sive sheet metal can be used for most of the parts More detailed reference will now be made to and thecost of the manufacture of the device the accompanying drawings in which I have thereby greatly reduced as compared with prior shown what -I regard to be preferred forms of my 30 devices embodying parts formed as castings or improved sealing device, but it will be understood, forgings. v of. course, that theinvention may be embodied in Yet another object of my invention is to provarious other similar devices and improvement vide an improved draft eliminator in which tenfeatures thereof.

sion 'sp'rings extending indiverging relation are In the form of my draft eliminator illustrated 35- connected with the sealing member for retractin Figs. 1 and 2, I show adoor casing I5 having ing and centering-the same in the casing. a door It hingedthereto and provided with a My invention may be furtherbriefiy sumlongitudinal slot orrecess il in its lower end in marized as consisting in certainnovel combinawhich my improved draft eliminator I8 is 40 tions and arrangements of parts hereafter mounted. As will appear more fully from. the 40 described and more particularly set out in the apfollowing description, my draft eliminator is of pended claims; the automatic type, that is,-has an elongated In. the accompanying sheets of drawings: sealing member which is retracted during open- Fig. 1 is an elevational View showing a door ing movement of the door and is projected in re- .having my improved draft eliminator mounted sponse to closing-movement of the door. 45

thereon; The draft eliminator I8 comprises an elon- Fig; 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken gated hollow sheet metal casing 20, of a shape and through the draft eliminator and the adjacent sizeto be inserted into aslot I! provided in the portion of the door; lower end ofthe door-l6,- and a sealing member 50, Fig. 3 isa similar longitudinal sectional view 2| movable in the casing and adapted to be probut showing the sealing member projected from jected therefrom automatically during closing the casing of the device; a movement of the door Thec-asing 20 may be Fig. 4 is a partial edge view of "a door having madefrom a metal sheet bent or formed to submy draft elim'm'atormounted thereon; stantially vU eshape, as shown. in Fig. 5, whereby a.

55, Fig} 5 is atransverse. sectional view taken longitudinal slot or opening, 2211s provided along casing and cooperate with members 25 and 215 by which the device is mounted on the door.

The members 25 and 26 may comprise plates mounted on the edges of the door by means of screws 2'? so as to form closures for the ends of the recess El and may have inwardly projecting means, such as the brackets 28 and 29, which extend into the open ends of the casing and engage under the transverse studs 23 for supporting the The bracket portions of casing in the recess. members 25 and 26 may be formed integral with the plates or may be separately formed and riveted or Welded thereto. The bracket portion of one of the closure and mounting members, preferably the bracket 29 of the member 26, has a hook-like portion 36 which cooperates with the stud 23 to prevent longitudinal shifting of the casing 29 in the door recess. Shifting of the casing in the recess in the opposite direction may be prevented by the engagement of the adjacent end of the casing with the plate of the member 26.

The sealing member 2! may comprise an elongated strip 32 formed of felt, sponge rubber, or any suitable flexible packing material, and an elongated holder 33 for such strip. I construct the holder 33 as a sheet metal member having a cross-sectional shape to provide a longitudinal channel recess in which the packing strip 32 engages and is suitably held as by having portions of the side walls of this channel-shaped member deflected inwardly to pinch or grip the packing strip as indicated at 34. The packing strip 32 is preferably made longer than the holder 33 so that at one end of the device, such as at the end adjacent the supporting and closure member 25, an end portion 35 of the strip extends beyond the adjacent end of the holder. This extra length for the packing strip is desirable because if the adjacent edge of the door l6 should need to be planed 01f, either at the time the draft eliminator is mounted on the door or at some subsequent time, more or less of the projecting portion 35 can be cut off before the member 25 is mounted orreplaced on the edge of the door. The strip will then be of proper length for the door and will produce a seal of maximum length without.

undue pressure or scraping of the end of the strip against the member 25.

For actuating the sealing member 2|, I provide a pair of pivoted levers or cams 37 and 38 which.

act on the sealing member to project the same, and a pair of tension springs 39 which are connected with the sealing member and serve to retract the same and hold it against the levers. For imparting motion to the levers I provide an elongated actuating member or bar 49 which is movable longitudinally in the casing and has a' finger orpin il at one end thereof which projects from an edge of the door to cooperate with the door casing, or a striker 42 mounted thereon, during opening and closing movements of the door. The levers 37 and 38 are mounted re.- spectively on the pivots 43 and 44 which extend transversely of the casing. These pivots are preferably in a form of hollow rivets which extend through the side walls of the casing and serve to connectand strengthen the walls of the cas-.

ing as well as to provide for the pivotal mounting of the levers. The levers may be stamped from sheet metal and preferably have bushings 45 mounted therein, as by means of a press fit or otherwise, such bushings being longer than the thickness of the levers and serving for journaling the levers on the hollow rivets. By making the bushings 45 longer than the levers they will also tend to hold or centralize the levers substantially midway between the walls of the casing.

' As shown in Fig. 2, the levers 31 and 38 may have upwardly extending arms 46 and 41 which are pivotally connected with the actuating bar it at longitudinally spaced points as by means of transverse pivot pins 48. The levers also have angularly extending arms 49 and 50 which en- 1 gage the sealing member 2! and exert a camming action thereon. The tension springs 39 may havetheir ends connected with the actuating bar 49 and the holder 33 of the sealing member so as to normally act on the latter to hold the same against the arms 49 and 59 of the levers. Because of their diverging relation the springs tend to centralize the sealing member longitudinally of the casing.

I purposely form the holder 33 of the sealing member 2! with a longitudinal groove in the top or inner edge thereof in which the arms 49 and 59 of the levers 3? and 38 engage. When the holder 33 is of sheet metal, this groove may be formed in the holder by constructing the latter with the transverse web portion 52 thereof defiected inwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. By providing this member with such a longitudinal groove I secure interengagement between the levers and the sealing member whereby the levers are always retained in proper camming engagement with the sealing member and are not likely to be disengaged therefrom as might otherwise result from jarring or slamming of the door.

The actuating bar 49 is also preferably of sheet metal construction and may be in the form of an elongated channel-like member formed from sheet metal bent to the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 5. By forming this bar from sheet metal, an advantage as to cost and weight is realized and, at the same time, I obtain a longitudinal recess 53 into which the arms 46 and i? of the levers 3! and 38 may extend between the offset longitudinal flange portions 54. The actuating bar 49 is supported in the casing substantially entirely by the arms 46 and 41 of the levers. 'By constructing this bar as a'hollow sheet metal part it will be seen that the pivotal con nections with the levers can be more easily made and the actuating bar will always be retained in proper position by the levers with its longitudinal midplane coinciding substantially with that of the levers and of the sealing member 2|. The hollow construction for the actuating bar also permits the pin or finger 4!, which may be of solid metal, to be readily mounted in an end of the bar.

Difliculty has been experienced heretofore in the operation of automatic draft eliminators, of the type here under consideration, by reason of the sealing member engaging or scraping against a rug or other floor covering extending near the door opening. I have overcome this difficulty by providing for'actuation of the sealing member 2i in such manner that one end of this member, preferably the end thereof nearest the free edge of the door, will be actuated in advance of the other end so that by the time the free edge of the door swings to a position over the rug or carpet 55 this end of the sealing member will have been lifted sufficiently to clear the floor covering. I obtain this desired result by constructing the levers or cams 31 and 38, or at least the arms 49 and 50 thereof, of dissimilar shape so that one of the levers, for example the lever 38, will act as a fast lever or cam as compared to the other or "slow lever or cam.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the arm 49 of the lever 3? may be of bowed or arcuate form so that its initial point of contact with the sealing member 2| is at an intermediate point 56 which is at a relatively'short lever-arm distance from the pivot 43. On the other hand the arm 50 of the lever 38 is made substantially straight so that its initial point of contact 51 with the sealing member 2| will be at or adjacent a corner or outer end, or in other words, at a relatively long lever-arm distance from the pivot 44. With this shape for the arm or cam portions 49 and 58 of the levers 3'1 and 38 it will be observed that when the actuating bar 40 is moved toward the right, as will result from engagement of the pin. M with the striker 42 when the door approaches its closed position, the lever 38 will cause the right-hand end of the sealing member 2| to be projected in advance of its other end. When the door starts its opening movement the fast lever 38 will permit the right-hand end of the sealing member 2| to be lifted more quickly than its other end, as illustrated in Fig. 7, so that this end of the sealing member will readily clear the floor covering 55.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I have shown a modified form of my draft eliminator which can be used when it is more convenient to mount the device on the face of the door instead of in a longitudinal recess formed in the door. In Fig. 8 I show a door frame 68 and a hinged door 6| having a draft eliminator 62 of the last mentioned form mounted thereon. When the draft eliminator is: to be mounted on an outer face of the door, as in this arrangement, it is preferable to have the pin 63 of the actuating bar project from the device on the knob side of the door for engagement with the striker 64.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 11 the draft eliminator 62 may comprise a hollow sheet metal casing 65 and a sealing member 68 movable therein and adapted to be projected through the longitudinal slot-like opening 61 at the lower edge of the casing. The casing 65 preferably has end walls 68 and 69 which close the casing at its ends except for an opening 70 in the wall 69 through which the pin $3 projects. The casing may be formed from a sheet metal blank having substantially the form or outline shown in Fig. 13. The blank may be bent substantially along the longitudinal lines 12 that the section 13 of the blank included between such lines forms the top edge of the casing and the oppositely extending portions 14 and 15 form. the side walls of the casing. The protections l8 and T! may be deflected into overlapping relation during the shaping of the casing to form the end walls 68 and 69 thereof.

The sealing member 66 may comprise an elongated strip 18 of felt or other suitable packing material, which is gripped and held by the elongated channel-shaped holder 19. The holder 19 is preferably formed of sheet metal and has a longitudinal groove 88 in its upper edge in which the longitudinally spaced cams or levers 8| and 82 engage.

The actuating levers 8| and 82 are mounted in the casing by providing the latter with trans:-

verse hollow rivets 83 which connect the side walls of the casing as well as to form pivots for these levers. The levers preferably have tubular bushings 84 pressed thereinto, or otherwise mounted therein, and which are journaled on the hollow rivets. The levers may be stamped from sheet metal and may comprise arms 8|a and 82a and angularly extending arms or cams 8|b and 821).

An elongated actuating bar is connected with the arms 8| a and 82a of the levers by means of transverse pivot pins 81. This actuating bar is preferably of channel-like sheet metal construction so that the arms of the levers 8| and 82 may extend thereinto.

The sealing member 68 is normally held against the arms or cams BI!) and 82b of the levers 8| and 82 by means of the divergently extending tension springs 88 which have their ends connected respectively with the sealing member and the actuating bar 85.

The actuating levers SI and 82 are shown in this instance as being of similar or identical shape, but it should be understood that one or the other of these levers may be of dissimilar shape as in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, if it should be desirable to cause one end of the sealing member to be actuated in advance of the other.

In addition to the hollow rivets 83 which form pivots for the levers 8| and 82, I may provide hollow studs or rivets 9| adjacent the ends of the casing for connecting the side walls thereof. Spacers 89, similar in form to the bushings 84 of the levers, are preferably provided on these hollow rivets to prevent the side walls of the casing from being pinched or unduly deflected inwardly during the riveting. When the device is mounted on the door 6|, as shown in Fig. 8, the hollow rivets 83 and 9| provide convenientopenings for suitable attaching screws 98.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings it will now be readily seen. that I have provided a simplified construction for draft eliminators whereby these devices can be manufactured more economically and are adapted to function more satisfactorily during use. It will be seen that these ends are attained, in part, by the use of sheet metal parts of novel form in the manufacture of the device and, in part, from the use of a novel form and arrangement for the actuating cams or levers and the retracting springs. It will be seen, furthermore, that I have provided novel means for mounting the device on the door and have provided for adjustment or fitting of the packing strip whereby a maximum length of seal along the lower edge of the door is obtained.

While I have illustrated and described the draft eliminators of my invention in a somewhat detailed manner, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction and arrangements of parts herein disclosed, but regard my invention as including such changes and modifications as do not constitute a departure fro-m the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a door sealing device of the type adapted to be mounted on a door and having an elongated sealing member to be projected and retracted during closing and opening movements of the door, means for actuating the sealing member so as to cause one end thereof to be actuated in advance of the other end comprising a pair of spaced actuators cooperating with the sealing member, the member cooperating portion of one actuator being of a different shape than the corresponding portion of the other actuator.

2. In a sealing device of the character described, the combination of an elongated hollow casing having a longitudinal opening, an elongated sealing member movable in said casing and adapted to be projected. through said opening, and means for actuating said sealing member so as to cause one end thereof to be actuated in advance of the other comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced cams one of which has a shape substantially different from the other.

3. In combination, a door having a longitudinal recess in the lower end thereof, an elongated sealing device disposed in said recess comprising an open-ended hollow casing having pins extending transversely thereof at points spaced inwardly from its ends, and plates mounted on the edges of the door to close the ends of said recess and having arms extending into the open ends of said casing and engaging under said transverse pins for supporting the sealing device in said recess.

4. In combination, a door having a longitudinal recess in the lower end thereof, an elongated sealing device disposed in said recess comprising an open-ended hollow sheet metal casing having members extending transversely thereof adjacent its ends, and plates mounted on the edges of the door to close the ends of said recess and having means extending into the open ends of said casing and engaging said members for supporting the sealing device in said recess, the member engaging means of one of said plates being of hooklike form and adapted to prevent longitudinal shifting of the casing in the recess.

5. In a sealing device of the character de scribed, an elongated hollow casing having an opening along an edge thereof, an elongated sealing member movable in said casing and adapted to be projected through said opening, an elongated bar longitudinally movable in said casing, and levers between the bar and sealing member for projecting the latter in response to longitudinal movement of the bar, said bar being formed of sheet metal and having an offset longitudinal hollow portion of box-like cross-sectional shape with a pair of spaced longitudinal flanges projecting therefrom and defining a slot opening into said hollow portion and said levers extending into said hollow portion through said slot and having centralizing cooperation with said flanges.

6. In a sealing device of the character described, an elongated casing having spaced side walls and a longitudinal opening, an elongated sealing member movable in the casing and adapted to be projected therefrom through such opening, an elongated actuating bar movable longitudinally in the casing, a pivot extending transversely of the casing, a lever for transmitting motion between said bar and sealing member and having an opening therein, and a bushing secured in the opening of the-lever and serving to mount said lever on said pivot, said bushing being substantially longer than the thickness of said lever and its ends cooperating with said casing walls for locating the lever therebetween.

'7. In a sealing device of the character de scribed, an elongated hollow casing having spaced side walls and a longitudinal opening, an elongated sealing member movable in said casing and adapted to be projected through said opening, an elongated actuating bar movable longitudinally in said casing, a pivot extending transversely of thecasing, a lever for transmitting motion between said bar and sealing member and having an opening therein, and a bushing secured in the opening of the lever and serving to mount the same on said pivot, said bushing being substantially longer than the thickness of said lever and its ends cooperating with said casing walls for locating the lever therebetween,. said actuating bar being formed of sheet metal and having a longitudinal hollow portion of box-like cross-sec tional shape with a pair of spaced offset longitudinal flanges projecting therefrom. and defining a slot opening into said hollow portion and said lever extending into said hollow portion through said slot and having centralizing cooperation with said flanges.

CHARLES GREIF RAIBLE. 

